What are the key qualities that footfall fans should look for in a football?
With World Cup football fever still lingering, the Consumer Council has collaborated with the International Consumer Research and Testing and the German Consumer Association in a first test report on footballs.
In the report were published the results of six samples of football of size 5 priced over a vast range of $119 to $700.
Not surprisingly, the two Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) approved match balls, at the highest end of the price scale, scored top overall ratings.
The test was conducted both in the laboratory for performance and endurance, and on various training grounds under different weather conditions for dribbling, shooting, heading and long passing, etc.
Performance includes roundness, pressure loss after three days, rebounce, stability and water resistance. Endurance, on the other hand, simulates 200 powerful shots of the balls at 70 km/h against a concrete wall.
The FIFA approved match balls surpassed the other samples in almost every aspect of the test especially the match ball (priced at $700) used in the recent World Cup finals which is the roundest of all samples with excellent water resistance.
Some of the cheaper samples (from $119 - $160) which had average score in performance, are good enough for training and leisure games.
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